redpurselady

I always measure my cuts with my ruler, not the mat.

BKrenning

Same for me. I even stand to the sides of it and cut long borders & strips across the surface instead of up & down. My friend always uses the lines on the mat to measure & goes through cutting mats much faster than I do.

jenniferlrn

I never use my mat to measure with. I use only my rulers. I am never sure that the measurements on the mat are true to size. The rulers I am sure of. I will use the lines on the cutting mat to make sure that my fabric is straight before I start cutting, but will never use the mat to measure with, only to cut my material out on.
I am also a right-handed individual and do start cutting on the left side and move to the right.

darlenedowns

I am taking a class and the teacher is left handed I myself as well she is teaching the entire class to cut with both hands you should try I would have never believed that I could the Omni-grid mat that I have has a few lines that are not accurate so make sure that you check with a rule before you cut or you will be off if the lines are a smidgen off we are also taught to use our rule and not the lines on the mat Teacher is a perfectionist which I like you do a great job in her class

echobluff

Ricky Tims says to only use your mat to line up your fabric and to use your ruler to measure and cut from the left to the right....but that's Ricky Tims. I've seen him "cheat" already though, in his flying geese tute on YouTube. Imagine that! LOL
My personal experience...I started out using my mat to measure and cut from right to left with a good measure of success. Over time though, grooves were worn in my mat, aging it well before its time. I've switched from doing it that way, to using the mat to line up my fabric and using my ruler to cut from left to right. I've found by doing it this way, my strips were more accurate. It is a pain to have to use 2 rulers when your strips measure more than 6.5 inches, but to me, accuracy is worth more than ease...but that's just me. Experiment and see which one works better for you. Rest assured that whichever method you choose to use, it will not prompt a visit from the "Quilt Police". I've tried a bunch of things that were suggested on this board that I might not have tried before...some worked, some didn't, but at least I gave it a shot. Quilting is all about enjoyment...if you have to apply rules, it becomes a chore. So use what works for you and have yourself a great time doing it!

Happy Linda

I'm right handed and go from left to right.

Lavada

i use my mat for cutting not measuring

skillon

Great discussion. Thanks.

jad1044

I've done it both ways, depending on how much table space I have to cut - and it works both ways for me. I do not have a cutting table persay - I use the kitchen/dining room table and it houses everything from his mail to the papers and magazines, and heaven forbid anything get moved; not a good situation, but that is how I got to cutting either way - depending on the other "situation".... I'm right handed - and I cut from bottom to top - or if I'm cutting longways across the width of the fabric in front of me, I cut right to left. BUT I have also cut from left to right on there also.

sherriequilts

I have to agree with this post about NOT using the mat for measurements. I use two rulers for aligning up and measuring. Then I remove either the right or left ruler to cut with either hand. ALSO, I will use a ruler that is at least 24 inches and push it up against the wall so it cannot move any direction. The mat and fabric underneath can then be adjusted to line up correctly. I get much more accurate results this way. EXCEPT when I forget to put a piece of tape beside the measurement I am using! Had to go buy more fabric for last log cabin quilt I made as the kit did not allow for my mistakes! Happy cutting and quilting!